Mercuri method

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The Mercuri method is the most popular and notable form of a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT). It is a modification to direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machines to provide a physical paper audit record that may be used to verify an electronic vote count.^[1]

Because electronic voting machines record votes internally, in computer software, vote fraud may be difficult to detect. Reconciling the electronic vote count with the physical vote count in all, or a random sampling of, machines allows poll-workers to screen for fraud. An election using this method would benefit from the efficiency of the DRE machines with the confidence instilled by a physical record.^[2]

The method works by displaying a paper vote record under glass or clear plastic after a voter indicates their choices. The voter is instructed to verify that the paper record correctly indicates their vote. They finalize their vote by pressing a button or pulling a lever, and the paper record is stored. (This is called a voter verified paper audit trail.) At no point can the voter remove the paper record from the voting area. To do so would allow for there to be a receipt that could be used to coerce the voter into voting for a candidate or to allow selling of votes.

The Mecuri method is named after Rebecca Mercuri who described it in her PhD thesis at the University of Pennsylvania in 2000.^[3]

• The abstract of Rebecca Mercuri's PhD thesis
• Full PhD thesis of Rebecca Mercuri

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